


In Another World...

by liamthebastard



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Airports, Alternate Universe, Bar, Denny's, Homelessness, Laser Tag, M/M, Not-a-Fake Relationship They Swear, Road Trips, Superheroes, Wal-Mart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-06
Updated: 2014-05-02
Packaged: 2018-01-07 16:56:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1122268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liamthebastard/pseuds/liamthebastard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No matter the universe, prompts, or settings, Merlin and Arthur are always brilliant, and always linked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ended Up At Denny's AU

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to use Merthur and the host of Merlin characters to fulfill a list of uncommon AUs. A different AU every chapter, to be updated and completed sporadically as has become my practice.

“How the hell did we even get here,” Arthur asked, resting his head on the sticky tabletop. Merlin sipped at his coffee. 

“You’re the one who wanted to road trip across the States,” Merlin answered, popping a chip into his mouth. 

Arthur lifted his head to glare at his friend. “You should’ve warned me. You know I hate Americans, why did I want to come to a country full of them?” A group of teenagers one booth over turned to glare at the blond, but he just returned the angry gaze until one of them started laughing and the others joined in. “Bloody teenagers, I swear. We were never like that.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Are you serious? You were the absolute _worst_ teenager,” he said. Arthur scoffed, but Merlin kept going. “Good Lord, Arthur, when we first met you spent fifteen minutes verbally harassing me until I finally tried to hit you! And then you beat the shit out of me,” Merlin finished, downing the last of his coffee. A waitress came by, refilled it, and walked away without a word. Merlin munched his way through a basket of chips while Arthur stared sulkily into his own coffee. 

“I wasn’t _that_ bad, and besides _Mer_ lin, you were awful too! Clumsy and always wandering off when I needed your help,” Arthur griped. Merlin rolled his eyes.

“I was your lab partner, not your manservant, Arthur,” Merlin laughed. 

“I had other things to do, Merlin! It was rugby season,” Arthur insisted. While Merlin was still chuckling, probably formulating another addition to the long list of insults towards rugby, the waitress came by and asked if they wanted anything else. 

Merlin nodded. “Yeah, can I get some more chips?” he said, nodding towards the basket when the waitress frowned in confusion. She nodded a second later and turned to Arthur to see if he wanted anything. “He’ll have a double cheeseburger,” Merlin filled in when Arthur blinked blankly. The waitress stepped away, snapping her chewing gum as she went. 

“Since when do you order for me?” Arthur asked. 

“Since it’s two a.m. and you’re driving first thing tomorrow. You never eat in the mornings, and I’m not having you pass out driving. It’s bad enough that you keep forgetting to stay on the right,” Merlin said. 

Arthur started to argue, but conceded when the waitress arrived with what looked like a frankly fantastic burger. He took a large bite out of it. “This one time,” Arthur said through a mouthful of burger. A second later, he snatched some of Merlin’s chips and popped them in his mouth.   
“You suck,” Merlin insisted, grabbing the other half of Arthur’s burger and taking a bite out of it in retaliation. 

They both laughed, and the teenagers turned around in their seats to stare. Merlin aimed his thousand-watt smile at them, and a few of the girls blushed and giggled in response. “Jailbait, Merlin, bad plan,” Arthur teased. 

Merlin shook his head. “Not my type, Arthur, and you know it,” Merlin said. Arthur grinned happily and caught at Merlin’s hand until Merlin gave in and let him hold it. “Clotpole.”

“Idiot.”

“Sweet-talker.”

“Flatterer.” 

oOo

“Did you see the couple out there?” the waitress asked, spitting her gum out and changing out of her uniform. 

“What, the two Brits? They weren’t a couple,” said one of her coworkers, lacing up her sneakers. 

“Yeah, they are, when I was clocking out, the blond one grabbed the big-eared guy’s hand. Plus, they were ordering for each other, it was very cute,” she replied.

“Huh. Who’d’ve thought?”


	2. 10 Hour Road Trip AU

_**Hour One** _

They were visiting Gwen at her flat when the idea struck them. Or rather, when the idea struck Arthur. 

“I haven’t seen Morgana in ages, Arthur, what’s she up to?” Gwen asked, passing Merlin his tea. 

“She’s studying music right now at the conservatory in Lyon,” Arthur answered, a plan formulating in his head. “Say, _Mer_ lin, I have an idea.” Merlin started to shake his head no, but Arthur ignored it and kept going. “Road trip, we’re going to visit Morgana. It’s happening, don’t argue,” he warned, pointing at both Merlin and Gwen. 

Gwen grinned. “That actually sounds really fun! Can we bring Gwaine and Lance along as well?” she asked, mobile phone in hand. Arthur nodded enthusiastically and pulled out his own mobile to call up a rental car. 

“You’re both mad,” Merlin laughed. “Arthur, we don’t even have overnight bags!”

“And? I’m certain Lance will loan me something, and Gwaine will have something one of his boys left over for you,” Arthur pointed out. 

“Oh, great, twink cast-offs, precisely what I need,” Merlin said. Arthur just grinned and glanced to Gwen, who shot him two thumbs up while she continued talking. 

An hour later, the three of them, plus Gwaine and Lance, were piling into a rented car, Merlin loudly claiming shotgun while Arthur took the driver’s seat. Gwen, Lance and Gwaine crammed into the backseat and they were off. 

 

_**Hour Two** _

“I’ve got to pee!” Gwaine announced. 

“Same,” Merlin agreed. 

“Ditto,” Gwen chimed in. 

“Like we didn’t _just_ pass through a town?” Arthur replied, pulling over onto an exit. 

“Shut up, Princess, I’m well-hydrated,” Gwaine insisted. Arthur pulled up to a store and quickly parked, insisting that they all get out of the car to stretch their legs. Those who had to, ran to the toilets and used them, while the others milled about outside. 

Finally, Gwaine came out, him being the last one left in the toilets. They poured into the car, shuffling around so that Lance was the one driving, Gwen rode shotgun, and Gwaine, Merlin, and Arthur took the back. 

“Onwards, Lance!” Gwen laughed as they started the car up again, heading back for the highway. 

 

_**Hour Three** _

They had finally passed through the Channel Tunnel, and entered France without a hitch. Surprising, honestly, considering Gwaine was in the vehicle. Gwen insisted on plugging her iPod into the stereo and turning the music up loud enough to drown out anything anybody else could say. 

France was nice enough this time of year; Merlin had made the drive before, but it was with Arthur’s ridiculously dangerous driving in control of the vehicle, so he gloried in the slower pace of an actual sane person behind the wheel that allowed him to see the scenery. Arthur, on the other hand, was dozing softly against his shoulder, drooling a bit over Merlin’s shirt. Merlin didn’t mind, but Gwaine was laughing over it from his other side. 

“Next pit stop, I’m getting the window seat!” Merlin shouted over the music. How Arthur was sleeping through this, Merlin couldn’t understand. 

 

_**Hour Four** _

Gwen had turned off the music a few miles back, letting the car fall into companionable silence. Arthur had woken up, and laughed at the drool stain on Merlin’s shirt. 

“This was a good idea, Arthur,” Lance commented from the front seat. 

“Definitely not the worst of your ideas,” Gwaine commented. 

Gwen laughed. “True, remember when he convinced us all to do that pub crawl? Poor Merlin didn’t even make it to the third pub!”

“Hey! Not true, I’d already had something to drink before we started,” Merlin pointed out. Arthur lost himself to laughter at Merlin’s defensive face. “Shut it, Arthur, it’s not like you’ve never passed out drunk.”

“Oh god, that’s true. Remember Morgana’s eighteenth birthday? Arthur got into a drinking contest with you, Gwaine, and he wound up falling off his seat and sleeping on the floor,” Lance said. 

Arthur squawked. “One time, that was _once_! Gwen, I still remember when you got drunk on Cosmos. _Cosmos_ , Guinevere. Cosmos.”

They fell to squabbling over who was more ridiculous when drunk, and who had passed out more, and on and on it went as Lance continued driving. 

 

_**Hour Five** _

The discussion was still going strong well into the fifth hour of the trip, though its topic had shifted slightly. 

“Remember Leon’s stag night? Merlin had so many shots he wound up pole dancing when I tried to call a taxi!” Arthur boomed, bending over with laughter as everyone else shared a chuckle. 

“Oh! Lance and I never told you this one, guys, but one time-” Gwen started snickering. “We went to check into a hotel and-”

Lance’s eyes went wide in the rearview mirror. “They don’t need to hear that,” Lance interrupted. Gwen gave a devious grin. 

“Alright, alright I _won’t_ tell them they wouldn’t serve us because they thought I was a prostitute,” Gwen revealed. Gwaine looked like Christmas had come early, Arthur lost what small amount of composure he’d managed to retain, and Merlin could only splutter out a sentence. 

“They thought- that you were- and he was- My god!” Merlin guffawed. 

 

_**Hour Six** _

During the sixth hour, nearly everyone was dozing. Gwaine was pressed against the window, Gwen had reclined her seat nearly into his lap and snoozed there, and Arthur was passed out once again on Merlin’s shoulder. The only people still awake were Lance and Merlin, and they sat quietly as the countryside went by. 

“When was the last time you saw Morgana?” Lance asked. 

Merlin jolted, he hadn’t realized he’d been half-asleep. “Mmm, probably just before she moved down to Lyon. So, about a year ago. She made me go shopping with her so someone could hold her bags and talk with her,” Merlin said, flashing back to the afternoon of department stores and ‘help me torture Arthur’s. “What about you?”

“It’s been a long time,” Lance said. “Probably since her eighteenth birthday party.” 

“Jesus, Lance, then it’s about time you got down there,” Merlin pointed out. Lance nodded, and the silence fell again. 

 

_**Hour Seven** _

“Find somewhere to stop, I’m starving,” Arthur announced. Lance rolled his eyes but pulled off the main road to a town, parking in front of a restaurant. The five of them climbed from the car and strolled into the restaurant. 

They all settled into a booth and placed their orders. It was surprisingly quiet as they waited for their food, they’d been in the car long enough that everyone was a little sleepy, and more than a little famished. 

Everybody had ordered the same basic meal, hot sandwiches, but with little differences that made doling them out a bit complex. Once the business with the different cheeses was sorted out, they were able to dig in. Within the first five minutes, Gwaine and Arthur had inhaled their sandwiches and the accompanying chips, but Merlin, Lance and Gwen were still working their way through their meals. 

Gwaine and Arthur spent the time the others took up eating by arguing football and rugby until Gwen told them both, in no uncertain terms, to shut the hell up. 

When all were fed and fairly content, Gwaine volunteered to drive and they got into the car once more. Gwen had maintained her hold on shotgun, leaving Arthur and Lance to squeeze Merlin between them. 

“To Morgana!” Merlin shouted, rekindling the excitement of their earlier departure. The others echoed it, and the car lurched off for Lyon.

 

_**Hour Eight** _

“Are you trying to tell me you’ve never seen Lord of the Rings?” Merlin nearly-shouted. 

“Why is that so odd?” Gwaine replied. 

“Gwaine, even _I’ve_ seen them,” Arthur said, raising his eyebrows. 

Lance and Gwen both nodded their agreements, but Gwaine maintained his position. “Arthur, I’ll bet you the only reason you’ve seen it is because Merlin forced you into it.”

“Technically true, but it was totally worth it,” Arthur conceded.

“It’s because I’m always right,” Merlin pointed out. Arthur tried to smother his laugh, but judging by Merlin’s smirk, he’d failed. 

“You’re all impossible,” Gwaine announced. 

It was generally accepted that that was true. 

 

_**Hour Nine** _

They’d switched out again, Arthur taking over the driving and Merlin hopping into the front seat while Gwen and Gwaine shifted back. Soon, the entire backseat was snoring, which left Merlin to the task of keeping Arthur conscious. 

“Hey, Arthur, why’d you really decide to do this? You just saw Morgana earlier this month,” Merlin asked. 

Arthur was quiet for a bit, before he answered. “Well… I know we’re not too far apart, but we haven’t _really_ spent time together in a while. I mean, we’re flatmates and we still hardly talk. I thought it’d be good for us to all get together and do something.” 

Merlin nodded a little. “I know what you mean,” he said. 

“It’s just- everything keeps changing but I’m not, you know? Leon’s married, and you know Gwen and Lance are headed that way, Morgana’s off at school, and well, Gwaine’s _Gwaine_. Even you’re getting on with your life, with that new teaching job. I just…” Arthur sighed. “Never mind, it’s ridiculous.” 

“No, no, tell me,” Merlin said, perking upright. Arthur was clearly upset, even if he wasn’t going to admit it. 

“I feel like I’m not going anywhere with my life,” Arthur admitted quietly. 

Merlin stared in shock. “Arthur- how can you say that? You’re one of the most kind, one of the _best_ people I know. You’ve got great friends, a terrifying sister, a job you enjoy… what more could you want?”

Arthur slowed the car down a bit so he could look over at Merlin for a second. “This is gonna sound really girly, but I almost wish there was, you know, someone with me for it.”

“You’ve got me,” Merlin pointed out gently. Arthur scoffed.

“That’s not what I meant,” Arthur said lowly.

“I know,” Merlin muttered, shifting to look out the window. “But it could be.” 

Arthur didn’t answer. 

 

_**Hour Ten** _

“Surprise!” Gwen shouted as Morgana’s door opened up. It was late at night, but Morgana wasn’t even in pajamas yet. They were lucky she was even there, it was a Friday night. Back home, Morgana was always out Friday nights. 

Morgana gasped in surprise as Gwen bounced forward to hug her. “You guys, what’s this? Come on in,” Morgana said, ushering them all inside. “Sit, sit. Arthur, go grab some beer from the fridge.” 

“Um, Morgs, I’m a guest too,” Arthur pointed out, but he was already on his way to the fridge. 

“You’re right,” she said, “Merlin, go help him!”

Merlin rolled his eyes and headed for the kitchen. He took a few bottles out of Arthur’s hands and was heading back to the living room with them when Arthur caught his arm.

Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times, before visibly giving up on words and tugging Merlin closer. “I- I’ve just got to try this, okay?” Arthur muttered, wrapping his free hand around Merlin’s waist and pressing his palm to the small of his back. “Say this is okay,” Arthur insisted. 

“It’s okay,” Merlin said, tilting his head a bit to press their lips together chastely. “It’s definitely okay.”


	3. Stuck in Line at the Same One Register in Wal-Mart at 2am

“Just don’t ask,” Merlin grumbled when the blond guy in front of him raised an eyebrow at the contents of his basket. Four cans of Monster, three Thomas the Tank Engine coloring books, seven bottles of Five Hour Energys, and five college ruled notebooks were odd, but not the weirdest thing Merlin had seen at this hour. 

“Believe me, whatever caffeine-fueled rampage you’re about to go on, I do not want to be involved in it,” the blond said. 

Merlin had to really work to keep his frustration internalized. He was fifth in line at the only working register in the damn Wal-Mart, and the lady currently ringing up had what appeared to be three thousand items. Seriously, who does their grocery shopping at two o’clock in the morning? Apparently this woman.

The blond turned around, and _fuck_ , he was good looking. “Looks like we’re gonna be here awhile, you may as well explain the basket,” he said, leaning against the rack of candy bars and leveling an utterly bored gaze at Merlin. 

“Remembered halfway through an all-nighter that I’m meant to be babysitting tomorrow, all day. Hence the energy drinks. Toddler, hence the coloring books and obviously I’m not sleeping tonight, hence-”

“Hence the overuse of ‘hence’,” the blond finished. Merlin scowled.

“All right then, _your highness_ ,” Merlin started in annoyance. “Explain _your_ basket.”

The blond boy smirked. “First of all, it’s Arthur, but your highness will do, I suppose. Secondly,” and damn it, he was gorgeous even when he was being obnoxious, Merlin noted, “I work from home, so I have my own hours. _Usually_ it isn’t very crowded this time of night,” and his voice went all low and growly in annoyance. 

Merlin tried to hide the shudder and pushed through to a snarky comment. “Huh. Clever of you, but that doesn’t explain the snack cakes and duct tape,” Merlin said, nodding towards the basket in Arthur’s hand. 

“I got hungry, and sometimes things need to be taped,” Arthur replied, shrugging. Merlin just widened his eyes a bit until Arthur realized how that sentence sounded. “And now you probably think I’m some sort of deviant.”

“No,” Merlin said. “I _definitely_ think you’re a deviant. And you’re up,” he pointed out. Arthur started a bit and quickly rang up his items, moving to the exit with a nod in Merlin’s direction.

Merlin smiled at the cashier and paid for his supplies, heading for the exit and his car. Maybe if he hurried he’d manage to get a bit of sleep before he had to wake up and get ready. He started walking for his car, getting lost in his head and no small amount of exhaustion as he went. 

“You know I was halfway to my car when I realized I didn’t have your number?” Merlin let out a shriek at the sudden voice to his left. He stopped and whirled to see Arthur, plastic bag in hand, smirking at him. 

“And what makes you think you’re going to get it, after scaring me like that?” Merlin answered, striding angrily towards his car. Arthur followed in an easy lope.

“Because, you like me. Admit it, I’m _charming_ ,” Arthur insisted. “I’ll even give you my number, if you promise to call me,” he cajoled. 

“If it means you’ll leave me to my night,” he said drily, pulling his phone from his pocket and passing it to Arthur. The blond gave him his own phone, and Merlin plugged his number in and named the contact. “Now go,” Merlin said, shooing Arthur away with his free hand. Arthur grinned widely and wandered off into the night. 

Merlin laughed when he saw what Arthur had plugged his name in as.

The next day, once he’d put Gwen and Lance’s son down for a nap, he called up _Potential Deviant_ and asked him out for coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got an AU or just an idea you want me to play with? Drop me a line!


	4. Secret Super Powers AU

Kilgarrah frowned as Merlin’s eyes glowed gold and dimmed. “You know, you’ve got to tell him eventually,” he said. Merlin shot a glance over his shoulder to check that his magic had met its target before responding. 

“Like hell I do, he’s my _roommate_ , there’s no reason for him to know,” Merlin snapped. Kilgarrah shrugged. 

“There is much you do not know about him, true. But Merlin, one day, you might not come home, and he must know why,” Kilgarrah said grimly, spinning on his heel and vanishing. 

“I’m not telling!” Merlin shouted at the empty space, knowing that Kilgarrah was already long gone. He was always doing that, giving cryptic advice and then flying off, only to reappear weeks later as if he had never been gone. 

Merlin was still fuming when he heard Arthur tripping up the stairs; Gwaine must’ve challenged him to a drinking contest, he never came home until he was well and truly wasted, and usually it took longer than the scant hour he’d been gone. Merlin rushed to change out of his mask and leather and into the pajamas Arthur would expect. With a flick of his wrist he put all of the training dummies and other props back into his closet, well away from Arthur’s prying eyes, and locked the door.

“ _Meeeeerrrrrr_ lin,” Arthur drawled, a thunk indicating that he was leaning against Merlin’s door, probably face first if the muffling of his voice was a judge. “ _Mer_ lin, Merly Merlin, open the _door_ ,” he whined. Merlin smothered an indulgent smile, and flicked the lock on the doorknob once he was certain his room was cleared of any sign of his powers. Arthur stumbled into the room, letting Merlin catch him and set him right. 

“Steady as it goes, mate,” Merlin said, guiding Arthur to sit on the bed. Arthur ignored Merlin’s plans, and flopped back immediately, bonking his head on the headboard as he did so. Merlin chuckled as Arthur cradled his head with a grimace. “Oh, Arthur,” Merlin tutted as he reached a hand out and pressed it to his forehead, soothing some of the headache and dehydration there. There was less than he anticipated, and he didn’t realize until Arthur’s eyes cleared that he’d made a mistake.

“I knew it! I knew you had something to do with it!” Arthur crowed, his voice suddenly free of the slurring as he sat up smoothly. Merlin’s eyes widened and he felt his pulse abruptly pick up in fear. He made for the door, but Arthur grabbed his wrist and held firm, and Merlin didn’t want to use his powers against Arthur, not like this. “Hey, don’t go, I’m not angry,” Arthur said, not sounding so victorious now. “C’mon, sit down.”

Merlin let Arthur guide him down to the edge of the mattress. “Just don’t tell anyone, okay? You can move out, do whatever you want, just _please_ don’t tell _anyone_ ,” Merlin blabbered, his self-preservation instinct finally kicking in. Arthur furrowed his brow.

“I’m not moving out, not unless you want me to, and I’m certainly not going to _tell_ anyone. It’s your secret to keep, Merlin, I wouldn’t out you like that,” Arthur said. “It doesn’t matter to me if you can do- whatever you just did, or if you’re Emrys or-”

“How did you know that?” Merlin interrupted. He’d been so _careful_ to keep his identity secret, to keep the mysterious Emrys as different from plain old Merlin Emerson as possible, he wore a mask and even kept up an active cloaking spell most times he went out as Emrys. It’d only slipped once, and that was just in front of Kilgarrah, who already knew, and an unconscious villain called Valiant. 

Arthur grinned and reached into his pocket, tugging out a bit of fabric. “This was caught on the screen door a few months back. I thought it looked familiar, so I started keeping an eye on the papers and news. The next time ‘Emrys’ showed up, his trousers had a piece of leather missing, and it looked like it’d match this,” Arthur said proudly. 

Merlin looked skeptical. “That’s not a lot to go on,” he said. 

“Well, there was more than that. Whenever you’re out of town and I get drunk, I always have horrible hangovers. But when you’re at home when I get back, the next morning I wake up feeling fine. You’re always disappearing, and usually a few minutes later something big happens. Plus, one time, you came in and forgot to take off your mask. I let you think you slipped by me, but I saw you out the corner of my eye,” Arthur admitted the last with a small smile.

“And you aren’t frightened? By the magic, I mean,” Merlin asked, his eyes locked on his lap where his hands sat clasped together tightly. This was the part that had kept him up at night. Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s father, ran the city’s largest anti-hero newspaper, the Albion, and most of the city lived and breathed his outspoken rants against those “mutants in spandex”, as he’d called Merlin and others more than once. He was notoriously afraid of magic-wielders in particular, as he blamed one for the murder of his wife years and years prior.

“I, ah, know someone with a similar talent. We’re very close,” Arthur hedged. 

“You mean Morgana,” Merlin said flatly. He and Morgana had teamed up for a while, but ultimately they proved better vague allies than actual partners. He knew Morgana was Arthur’s half-sister, but he didn’t know that Arthur knew of Morgana’s abilities. It would’ve saved him a lot of sleepless nights if she’d thought to share that little tidbit.

Arthur grinned shakily. “Uh, yeah. She isn’t as strong as you are, but you never hurt me yet, so why would you start now?” he said reasonably. “Besides, if you were actually _useful_ you’d use it more around the house,” he teased. A corner of Merlin’s mouth twitched up, and it was all the opening Arthur needed. “Glad that’s settled, then,” Arthur stated firmly. 

“You’re a fool, Arthur Pendragon,” Merlin said fondly. 

“Well, so are you, Merlin Emerson. I mean, _really_ , Emrys, Emerson? Obvious much?” 

“Shut it, like you could think of something better!” Merlin replied, shoving Arthur on the shoulder. Arthur pushed back, and they spent the rest of the evening arguing hero names, and the potential of a cape (no way was Merlin wearing one, he didn’t care _how_ cool Arthur thought they were). 

(He would eventually end up wrapped in a red cape, but that’s a whole different story.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer chapter, I got a bit carried away :-) Add the AU you want in the comments, and I'll add it to my list!


	5. In Space AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow this became a Star Trek AU, and it fit a little bit too well. I might continue it later on actually...

“Captain, with all due respect, you’re an idiot and this plan is going to get us all into trouble, if not killed,” Merlin said frankly, looking over the readouts while Arthur glared. 

“Merlin, shut up,” Arthur said. They were in his ready room, both off-shift for now, and pouring over the plans for a survey mission to a nearby planet. 

Merlin scowled. “You know I’m right, Arthur. If Admiral Pendragon knew-” It was dangerous territory, bringing up Arthur’s father, but in this case it seemed to work. 

“I know, I know, but what other choice do we have? Our scanners can’t get a read on the planet through the atmosphere, it only makes sense that we send down a team,” Arthur said, gesturing to the charts that all read the same. “And if anybody is going to be risking their necks, it’s going to be me.”

“Well, I’m going with you, and don’t even begin to give me that ‘but I’m leaving you in command’ bullshit, if you don’t let me I’ll just stow away. Gwen will help me and you know it,” Merlin said. Gwen was probably the best chief of engineering in the fleet, and she’d certainly help him sneak aboard the away team’s shuttle if she thought it was best for the Albion.

“Fine, I’ll leave Lance in charge, but it won’t be just us. Tell Gwaine, Leon and Percival that we leave at the start of Alpha shift,” Arthur said. 

Merlin nodded, rising from the table, but he paused at the door before signaling it to open. “Promise me you’ll get some sleep tonight, Captain. You’re starting to look like you got punched,” Merlin said, covering his concern with sarcasm. Arthur gave a weak smile, but made no answer, and Merlin knew odds were, he’d be up all night planning. 

 

“What did I say? I said this planet would kill us. And what is it doing? It’s trying to kill us,” Merlin griped. Gwaine grinned at him, phaser drawn and aimed at the creature quickly approaching. Arthur and Leon were sheltered one rock over, both of them firing off shots to try and incapacitate the incoming danger. 

“But on the bright side, the Captain’s lost his shirt again,” Gwaine noted, laughing in Merlin’s direction when he immediately blushed and looked to Arthur. The Captain had indeed lost his command golds once again; all that remained was half a sleeve and a bit of the neckline, just enough to hold it onto his body but not enough to cover any of his chest and abs. 

Merlin rolled his eyes. “I do _not_ get paid enough for this,” he said, reaching a hand out and felling the beast just as Arthur landed a blow to its chest. 

He hadn’t found the time or opportunity to explain to Arthur his unique heritage; the Admiral’s xenophobic policy on ranking officers that weren’t strictly human kept Merlin from revealing his father’s status as extraterrestrial. It was enough for him to use his telekinetic abilities, innate to his father’s people, to keep Arthur and the Albion as safe as possible. 

Arthur hooted his victory while Leon looked in surprise at his own phaser, undoubtedly trying to figure out why his own shots hadn’t knocked the animal out. 

“To the shuttle, now!” Merlin shouted a moment later. More of the creatures could be seen in the distance, and frankly, Merlin was too knackered to take care of them. He and Arthur took off, sprinting for the shuttle, while Leon and Gwaine covered them. Soon, all four of them were settled into the shuttle and Merlin was at the controls, lifting off and engaging the scanners as he flew so the mission wouldn’t be a complete bust. 

They managed to get some data, but not enough to really justify their little _excursion_ , as Gwen was calling it. Their CMO, Gaius, had _not_ been pleased to see how exhausted Merlin was. He was the only one who knew of Merlin’s parentage, and so kept a close eye on his health since his kind needed more sleep and got tired a lot more easily than humans. He ordered that Merlin be given at least one shift off, which Merlin reveled in. Given another few weeks, Merlin was certain Arthur would get them into trouble once more, so he savored the time off. 

It wasn’t two hours into his shift off that a ship-wide alert was issued, and he had to report to the bridge. 

It appeared Arthur had pissed off a hostile race.

Again.


	6. Everyone Battles to the Death in a Game of Laser Tag AU

“Winner buys drinks tonight!” Arthur declared upon entering the arena with everyone gathered up. “Form your alliances or go it alone, when your chest pad turns red you’ve been hit,” he instructed, and then gestured to let everyone go.

“I’ve got Merlin!” Morgana shouted immediately, smirking as Arthur scowled. Merlin just rolled his eyes and crossed the group to stand beside Morgana and Gwen. 

“Fine, then I get Leon,” Arthur replied, and Morgana only laughed. The teams were quickly chosen, with Arthur leading Leon, Gwaine, and Percy and Morgana leading Merlin, Gwen and Lance in temporary alliances, to be dissolved upon the destruction of mutual enemies.

Leon eyed the opposition uneasily. “Arthur, shouldn’t the teams be more evenly matched?” he said. 

Gwen grinned. “What, you want to give us another guy to even the odds?” she suggested, flipping the laser gun around in her hand lazily. 

“No, I just don’t think you and Morgana should _ever_ be on the same team, it’s terrifying,” Leon replied, echoing her smile while Gwaine pretended to load his laser gun. 

Merlin laughed at their antics and raised an eyebrow towards Arthur, who quirked his lips up in response. A moment later, Morgana demanded that they scatter as the timer began its countdown. 

The indoor laser tag arena was essentially a large concrete box, with obstacles and half-walls scattered throughout. There wasn’t any overhead lighting, just a bunch of neon colored lights outlining the objects and lining the floor so nobody would trip. Morgana instructed her team to scatter and take out Arthur’s team from a distance. She warned Merlin to watch out for Arthur, since he was bound to be trouble for their team, and then scampered off in search of Arthur while Gwen and Lance went looking for Gwaine and Percy. 

Merlin made it perhaps four feet in the opposite directions of the others before a hand grabbed his elbow and yanked him behind a wall. “Shhh,” Arthur muttered, his voice low under the loud music designed to muffle footsteps. 

“Arse!” Merlin said, shoving at Arthur’s grip on his arm and trying to get away before Arthur fired at his chest plate. “Either let me go or shoot me already, you giant clotpole,” Merlin grumbled when Arthur didn’t move. 

Arthur grinned. “Care for an alliance, _Mer_ lin? You and me against the rest?”

Merlin couldn’t resist. “Of course,” he replied, and on Arthur’s signal, they rounded the wall and started firing, picking off the others until Merlin saw the last of the others –Morgana, of course– get caught in the chest. A second later, he and Arthur were pointing their laser guns at each other, both smirking with their fingers on the trigger. “I’d suggest a truce–” Merlin began.

“But you know I’d say no,” Arthur laughed. Merlin feigned left with his foot before diving right just as Arthur fired. Somehow, Merlin avoided getting hit and fired a shot towards Arthur without a prayer of hitting him. He slammed shoulder first into the ground and lashed out with his leg, hoping to take Arthur down. 

It worked, but only partially. Arthur fell, but not backwards like Merlin had hoped. Instead, he fell forwards, directly onto Merlin, knocking the breath out of them both. They both froze, staring openly at each other for a moment. “Well hello,” Merlin said when he finally got his breath back. Arthur was still trying to inhale properly, so Merlin took his chance and flipped them over, pinning Arthur’s arms behind his back and placing his laser gun to Arthur’s chest. 

“Sorry,” he said cheekily, not in the least bit apologetic. Just as he moved to pull the trigger, his chest plate lit up red. “What?”

Arthur started to laugh. “Only pinned one hand, idiot!” he crowed, bucking his hips up and dislodging Merlin easily. “Drinks are on me!” he shouted a moment later as the music stopped and lights came up, leaving Merlin blinking quickly to try and adjust. “Don’t look so put out, _Mer_ lin,” Arthur said, extending a hand to help Merlin up.

He took it gratefully; his vision was still full of grey spots from the changing light and he was clumsy at the best of times with full vision. Now, he didn’t trust himself to walk straight let alone get to his feet and walk to the pub. 

“I swear, Merlin, are you still blind from the lights?” Arthur scoffed. 

“Shut it, prat,” Merlin grumbled, but he settled when Arthur slung an arm around his shoulder and tugged him out the door. Merlin’s eyes finally adjusted, but he didn’t bother mentioning it as Arthur took both their vests and guns to turn in and then returned, putting his arm around Merlin once more and leading him outside to meet everyone else and head down to the pub. 

They walked in and quickly found a table, but Arthur roped Merlin into helping carry the first round. He slid a few pints over to Merlin and carried the rest himself, but before they reached the table he leaned over. “And by the way, _Mer_ lin, I fully expect to take you out to dinner tomorrow night, and have you over me in a much more private setting,” he said, laughing when Merlin squeaked and turned red from the ears down. 

“You’d better not be harassing my friend, Arthur,” Morgana said as she accepted her drink. 

“He was my friend first and you know it,” Arthur replied, passing the drinks around while Merlin did the same. 

Morgana grinned. “Yes but he likes me better and you know it,” she said primly. 

Arthur just smirked. “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooohh this one was _fun_. But I've never actually gone laser tagging before, so I'm working purely off what I've seen on How I Met Your Mother.


	7. Got Into/Waved at the Wrong Car AU

It had been a long flight back to London from the States, but all Arthur really wanted was to get into Leon’s car and let his friend drive him home. Business trips always took it out of him, and this one in particular had dragged on and on. Everybody wanted to be part of the decision making process, but nobody wanted to make _any_ concessions whatsoever and they all turned to _Arthur_ for advice and– Arthur cut off the train of thought. He was home now, that was what mattered. Just as soon as he spotted Leon’s car he could climb in and fall asleep in the passenger seat until they got back to the flat they shared. 

Finally, he spotted Leon’s Volkswagen bug – no judgment, he’d had it since uni – and without even glancing towards the front of the cab he leapt in, suitcase in his lap. “Leon, you would not believe the week I’ve had, I’m about _this_ close to ceding full control to Morgana and–” He turned as he spoke. “And you’re not Leon.”

The dark-haired man behind the wheel smiled. “’Fraid not, mate. But it’s cold out, you’re welcome to sit in here until your Leon arrives,” he offered. 

“Oh, no, he’s not _my_ Leon he’s just- I mean, he’s my _friend_ but not- he’s actually dating my si- um,” Arthur bit down on his lip before he could embarrass himself more, but it was too late. The man tilted his head back and laughed loudly, bringing color to his ridiculously high cheekbones and making his ears stick out even more in comparison. “What I meant to say was, my name’s Arthur. Yours?” Arthur finally managed, ignoring the heat in his cheeks. 

“Merlin,” the man replied easily. “So where’d you get in from?” he asked, gesturing to Arthur’s suitcase, now slipped between his legs in the foot well. 

“I was Stateside to do some rehaul for my company’s US offices. Pretty boring stuff, but it took forever. What about you, who are you picking up?” Arthur asked. 

Merlin smiled. “My best friend Will was supposed to get in today from a month in Istanbul, but he called about two seconds before you climbed in to tell me he’s staying another few weeks. I was about to leave when you turned up,” he laughed, and his eyes lit up with a sparkle that completely caught Arthur for a breathless moment before his words registered. 

“Oh, God, I’m sorry, I’ve gotten into your car and taken up your time, I should just-”

“Stay,” Merlin interrupted. “Or better yet, fasten your seatbelt and I’ll take you to dinner. My treat.” 

Arthur sat back for a moment, shocked. Normally, even with the few men he’d dated, he’d been the one pursuing, the one cajoling and persuading others to share their time, their space, their lives. But here was a man he’d known all of five minutes at the most, inviting him to dinner and looking him in the eye without fear of rejection. 

“I- I’d like that,” Arthur agreed, sending off a quick text to Leon to let him know not to come. 

Merlin beamed at his acceptance, and a little part of Arthur melted more and more with each subsequent smile and laugh. 

Dinner that night continued to deserts to after-dinner drinks all the way back to Merlin’s flat for coffee, but when Arthur moved to take tings towards the bedroom, Merlin put a firm hand on Arthur’s chest. 

“I don’t put out on the first date, Arthur. Go home, sleep of the jetlag, and then, call me,” Merlin said, using his other hand to scribble a number down on a napkin and slid it into Arthur’s front pocket. He leaned over and pressed a warm, soft kiss over Arthur’s lips, and then pushed him playfully towards the door. “Now get going, I fully expect a call by tomorrow night.”

Arthur grinned and left the flat with his suitcase in hand and Merlin’s number in his pocket. He flagged down a cab and was in his flat in less than an hour. Leon was sprawled on the couch, bowl of crisps in his lap and Top Gear running on the television. “I hope whoever she was was worth it, I was halfway to the airport when you texted,” Leon joked. They both knew he hadn’t even left the flat yet when Arthur texted, or else he wouldn’t have seen the message. Leon never checked his phone while behind the wheel. 

Still, Arthur ran a finger over the napkin in his pocket. “Don’t worry,” he said. “He was.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to experiment a bit, since I tend to go towards a blushing Merlin and cocky Arthur, so here's a bit of reversal!


	8. I'm pretending to be your bf bc you looked VERY uncomfortable with that person at the bar hitting on you AU

Merlin sipped at his drink, trying to ignore the advances of the douche next to him at the bar. He wouldn’t let up, though, and even had the nerve to put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder to get his attention. Merlin had his mouth open to warn him off when a second, friendlier hand slid around his shoulders, dislodging the douche’s hand. 

“Hey, babe, sorry I’m late,” an unfamiliar voice said, leaning in as if to give Merlin a hello kiss. “Sorry, you looked really uncomfortable with this guy,” the new man whispered rather than kissing Merlin’s cheek. “I’m Arthur, you are?” the man asked, sticking his free hand in front of the douche’s face. 

“Cenred. Are you his –?” 

“Boyfriend? Yes. So, basically,” and here the man grinned, all predatory, “Run.” 

And Cenred vanished, getting up and running off to another area of the bar. Merlin’s savior dropped his arm from Merlin’s shoulder once Cenred was out of sight. He stepped into Merlin’s view, blond hair glinting gold in the dim bar light. 

Jesus _Christ_ , he was lovely. Blue eyes glinted out from underneath a shaggy blond fringe, and a huge, blindingly white smile filled his face. “I hope you weren’t actually trying to pull there,” Arthur said. “Because if so, you may want to work on your flirting technique. You looked like you were trying to pass a kidney stone.”

Merlin chuckled. “No, no, he just wouldn’t leave me alone,” he said. “I really owe you one.”

“No worries mate, I just like saving damsels in distress,” Arthur teased, settling in to the barstool Cenred had occupied. 

“I’m hardly a damsel, but I was in distress, I’ll give you that,” Merlin said. “At least let me buy you a drink?”

“So long as you tell me your name,” Arthur agreed. 

“I’m Merlin,” he laughed, flagging the bartender down and signaling for two more of his drink. “I hope you like cable cars, because it’s pretty much all I drink.”

Arthur nodded. “I suppose they’ll do, but only because you can’t be drinking alone,” he said. Merlin chuckled and slid the drink over to Arthur as it arrived. 

“Do you do this often, then? Swoop in and rescue random strangers in bars, I mean,” Merlin clarified, sipping at his fresh drink. 

“Only when they’re pretty as you,” Arthur commented, taking a drink and looking surprised at the taste. Merlin flushed, and he could feel the tips of his ears going red to match his cheeks. He tossed back the rest of his drink with a gulp, hoping for a little liquid courage. 

“Hmm, your seduction is a strange one, but effective,” Merlin mused.

Arthur quirked an eyebrow. “Who said I was seducing?” he asked.

Merlin flushed. “Um– I ah– not that you’re seducing me– I don’t even know if you’re gay so–” Arthur started to laugh and Merlin had to bite his tongue to keep from blabbering more. 

“When I do seduce you,” Arthur said confidently, raising his eyes from his drink to catch Merlin’s in a powerful stare, “You’ll have no doubt in your mind what’s happening.” The brunet blushed again. 

“Al- alright,” Merlin stammered. 

Arthur stood up. “Come with me?” he invited, offering his arm like some old black and white movie hero.

Merlin stood and slid his arm through Arthur’s. “Yeah, I think I will.”


	9. Homeless AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written from [writer666](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer666)'s prompt on the first chapter of this fic, suggesting a homeless AU. So sorry this took so long!

It’s _cold_. And not a “oh it’s a bit nippy out” cold, or even a shivering cold. This cold is bone-deep, blood-freezing cold, so cold that Arthur’s extremities have gone well past painful to the point where he can’t feel them. The wind is biting, and even though he’s huddled in an alley to avoid it, it still slices right through him. He curves closer to the brick wall, ignoring how it digs into his shoulder in favor of trying to hide from the wind. His mind is starting to go fuzzy, and he knows that isn’t good, but he’s finally not feeling so cold, and maybe he can actually get some sleep and wake up warmer. 

There’s noise around him, but he doesn’t really pay much attention to it; London’s a loud city, with lots of sounds. He’s so close to sleep, so close, if he just lets his eyes rest for a minute… 

Something hot smacks across his face, and it brings him back from the edge of sleep, just enough for his eyes to focus on what’s in front of him. Dark hair, pale skin, something bright red that’s coming towards him… There are words, and then something lifts him up. 

But that’s not right, Arthur isn’t light enough to carry, or he didn’t used to be anyway. He used to be all muscle and strength. But that was before, so perhaps someone could carry him now. He’s carried someplace without wind, and then his clothes are coming off and no, that’s not right, that’ll make him _more_ cold, and now he can feel it again, can feel the chills wracking his body, but soon something warm is surrounding him and a moment later something downright _hot_ is pressing into his side. 

He slowly comes back, body quaking and painful now as his limbs thaw out, and realizes he’s in an unfamiliar bedroom, surrounded by a heap of blankets, completely starkers. 

With someone else next to him. 

“Don’t freak out,” the man says. “I’ll put my clothes on but you really need to stay under here to keep warm, okay?” Arthur nods a little bit. “I need you to repeat that back to me, so I know you’re with me.” 

Arthur dutifully repeats what the man’s said, and then the man nods and slides out from under the blanket nest, clearly trying not to disturb the pile. Some cold air slips in though, and Arthur shivers harder at it. “Sorry,” the man says, grimacing. He’s pulling on trousers and shirt, his boxers having apparently stayed on. “I’m Merlin Emrys, by the way. And I swear I’m not some creep or murderer or anything, I’m actually a doctor. Here, drink this,” Merlin says, passing a thermos over to Arthur. 

He takes it gratefully, sipping at the tea inside it. 

“Gwen, he’s alright, but can you go run a warm bath for him? Careful not to make it too hot,” Merlin calls out the door. “That’s my roommate, Gwen, she made the tea, since I was occupied,” he explains, turning to face a dresser as he explains to Arthur. He starts pulling out thick clothes. “Once you’ve gotten a bit warmer, you’ll put these on and we’ll have supper. Until then, wrap yourself up in this for the trip to the toilet.” He tosses Arthur a thick bathrobe. “Put it on under the blanket, try to keep most of the warm air in.”

Arthur followed the instructions, but now that he was warm, he was starting to chafe under the instructions. “Aren’t you going to ask?” he finally says, getting the robe on and trying not to shiver too obviously. 

Merlin’s face is neutral. “Ask what?” 

“What I was doing out in the cold,” Arthur says. 

“I won’t ask, I _can’t_ ask if you don’t want me to. It’s my job to make sure you’re okay, not to pry,” Merlin answers. “I’ll show you the bathroom, use those slippers to keep your feet off the floor, no matter how warm the air gets in here the floor is always cold.” 

Arthur eyes the man for a minute. “Alright,” he decides, and lets Merlin lead him on shaking legs to the toilet. The air in there is warm and humid, and it feels good on his skin. Merlin turns his back and lets him get into the water. The roommate – Gwen, must have added bubbles. Arthur’s grateful, it loans him a little bit of privacy when Merlin turns back around. 

“If I leave you in here, will you promise to stay awake and not drown in my bath?” Merlin asked. 

“I’m not even tired anymore,” Arthur grumbled. 

“Of course not. I’m going to make some food. The second the water starts to feel too cool, get out of it and dry off thoroughly, then put these clothes on,” Merlin instructs, setting the clothing down on the toilet lid. “Then go back to the bedroom and get under the blankets, I’ll bring the food in there, and if you feel like it, we can talk, and if not, we’ll eat and then I’ll leave you to sleep.” 

Merlin’s halfway out the door before Arthur speaks. 

“Merlin…” He turns back, eyebrows raised. “Thank you.” The words are harder than they should be; it’s been so long since he’s had something to be thankful for that the words are clunky on his tongue.

The smile Merlin gives him does more to warm him up than any of the hot water. 

“You’re welcome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While never explicitly stated, Arthur is homeless in this situation, having been kicked out by Uther after coming out as bisexual.


	10. Nobody Believes They're Dating AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it was Chase who mentioned this, in the context of Sterek. She mentioned a reverse of the "everyone assumes they're dating" AU in which the couple just gets more and more frustrated until they finally make out in front of everyone.

“Nobody will believe it, you know,” Merlin says, smiling. 

Arthur shrugs. “They’ll get it eventually, I’m sure.”

“They think I hate you,” Merlin says.

“They think I’m straight,” Arthur replies. 

Merlin laughs, and it’s like bells. “Alright, you win. We’ll tell them. But I’m not responsible for anything any of them say.”

o0o

“Yeah, sure, okay,” Morgana laughs when Arthur tells her. 

“No, honestly, we _are_ ,” Arthur insists. 

Morgana can’t stop grinning. “Arthur, it isn’t nice to tease your flatmate, you know he hates you, let him be,” she chastises. 

Arthur groans. 

o0o

It doesn’t fare any better with Merlin backing him up. They try it again at the weekly pub night with Gwaine, but he laughs so hard he snorts half his pint out across the table, sending everyone else into fits of laughter in response. 

“We’re actually together, I mean it!” Merlin shouts over the commotion, but Arthur knows a lost cause when he sees it. He slips a hand around Merlin’s shoulder. 

“Sorry, love,” he says. 

Merlin just growls.

o0o

Lance just smiles and shakes his head.

o0o

Gwen says Lance already warned her about the pranks the pair of them were pulling and rolls her eyes.

o0o

Percy doesn’t even answer them, just ignores them completely.

o0o

It’s weeks later when they can’t take it anymore. Morgana keeps pushing women at Arthur, Gwen is insisting Merlin try a blind date with a man from her work, and if Arthur intercepts one more suggestive look from Gwaine he may actually punch his friend. 

They’ve all met up in the park, Gwen’s spread a blanket out on the grass and Lance made up a picnic basket for everyone. 

“Merlin,” Gwen’s saying, “I don’t know why you’re dragging your feet, he’s a perfectly nice boy, and you haven’t dated hardly at all since Mordred and that was _ages_ ago!”

Arthur bristles at the mention of Merlin’s awful ex, and almost misses what Merlin replies with. “I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, I am, in fact, in a steady relationship with Arthur,” Merlin explains, with the air of someone speaking to a small child. Arthur smiles, and slings a proprietary arm around Merlin’s waist, drawing him in close. 

Morgana crosses her eyes while Gwen makes an exaggerated gagging sound. “We don’t believe you, Merlin,” Gwaine says. “We all know you can’t stand each other, I’m surprised you can even _touch_ without killing someone.”

Sometimes, when you’re in a relationship, you and your partner will share rare moments of perfect clarity where you know _precisely_ what the other is thinking. This is one of those times. 

Arthur braces himself just as Merlin leaps into his lap and mashes their mouths together, kissing him furiously until Arthur steadies them both and starts giving as good as he gets. They lose time and for a moment, all that exists is Merlin’s body warm and firm under his hands and Merlin’s tongue, hot and damp where it twines and plays with his own. 

Merlin gives a little whine when Arthur’s hands slip under his shirt, and it’s then that Arthur registers the sounds of shock and disbelief coming from their group of friends. He breaks away from Merlin’s mouth with a gasp, but instead of looking to their friends, he takes a minute and rests their foreheads together, checking in with Merlin visually to make sure they’re okay. 

Merlin’s eyes are gorgeous, bright blue with excitement and nerves. Perfect, as always. They tell him it’s all right, that they’ll be fine.

Even if, as Gwaine says later, their friends still aren’t sure it isn’t a prank.

**Author's Note:**

> Got an AU you want me to try? Leave it in the comments!


End file.
